Miraz Ullah Ali’s claims that she ‘was in the custody of a woman’ triggered a search involving local police divisions and Interpol with the Met Police also informed.

However, the credibility of the witness has since been called in to question.

Madeleine disappeared from a holiday apartment in the Algarve in 2007 when she was three years old and sightings have since been made in numerous countries including Portugal, Sweden, Belgium, Morocco and The Netherlands.

Commissioner Sanny Amarilla, deputy chief of one of the police stations said to be hunting the missing girl, had told The Sun an investigation would focus on neighbourhoods where there are foreign citizens, villas, and condos.